City of Colorado Springs employees don't mind bearing the brunt of terrible turkey puns for a good cause. Last week, several employees took vacation time and dressed in Thanksgiving costumes to inspire turkey donations from fellow employees. As a result, they provided 90 turkeys and $300 to Care-n-Share to help with meals for those less fortunate this Thanksgiving. This is the 3rd year that City employees have participated in the effort after being inspired by KKLI's annual Take a Turkey to Work Day. It also continues the efforts of City employee Green Team volunteers who grew 170 pounds of vegetables for Care-n-Share in a small vegetable demonstration garden at City Hall.

Colorado Springs invited to showcase two environmental programs at National Conference of Municipal Leaders

Colorado Springs has been invited to showcase two successful City programs at the National League of Cities' annual Congress of Cities & Exposition, Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 in Denver, Colorado. The 2010 City Showcase provides cities from across the country an opportunity to present new and noteworthy ideas to more than 2,500 conference participants. Colorado Springs will showcase City Engineering's Infrastructure Asset Management System and Stormwater Education, as well as the work the City's Office of Environmental Sustainability has done through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. (Pictured is a student employed through an EECBG-funded pilot project that partners with higher education institutions to perform audits and retrofits.)The 34 participating programs were identified and hand selected by content experts and local leaders for their innovation in areas, such as community development, sustainability, youth engagement, and public works.

Fleet Division is 26th greenest fleet in the nationThe City of Colorado Springs Fleet Management Division, which is responsible for maintaining all City and Springs Utilities vehicles, received high ranking in October as the 26th top government green fleet in the nation. The Government Green Fleet Award is open to all Federal, State, and local government fleets in North America and is supported by the Clean Cities Coalition. It functions as an assessment standard that serves as a foundation for implementing greener fleet practices. The Government Green Fleet Award evaluation categories consider fleet composition fuel and emissions, policy and planning, fleet utilization, education, executive and employee involvement and supporting programs.Read More...

You can help shape our region's transit future

The general public is invited to a public open house from 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 16 in room 102 of the City Administration Building, 30 S. Nevada Ave. The purpose of the open house is to gain citizen feedback, in compliance with federal requirements, on the 2035 Long Range Public Transit Plan Update and the Public Transit & Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan Update. Information on The Future of Regional Transit Studywill also be available at the Nov. 16 open house as well as the Southern Colorado Sustainability Conference (see following article) as a part of the vendor expo. The focus of the study is to thoroughly evaluate the desired level of public transit services as well as how public transit should be governed and funded for ongoing sustainability.

The Southern Colorado Sustainability Conference is this Thursday and Friday!

The Catamount Institute'sSouthern Colorado Sustainability Conferenceis one of the region's leading events featuring cutting-edge sustainability experts, technology, products, and best practices attracting hundreds of people each year from the business, local, and military communities. Thursday, Nov. 18 events (Recycling Summit, breakout sessions, State of the Region, and reception) are free as a gift from the Catamount Institute to the community. Friday, Nov. 19 conference events are $85 with a Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network membership. As a part of the Southern Colorado Sustainability Conference, enjoy the second annual Sustainability State of the Region on Nov. 18 at no cost to community attendees.This two-hour program runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the downtown Antler's Hotel. The event is open to the public and features regional government (including the City?s own Vice Mayor Small) and private sector leaders sharing current sustainability efforts and next steps.

Vote in USGBC national board of directors electionThe City, a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) member since 2008, reminds other member organizations that they only have until Dec. 3, 2010 to vote for candidates running for the national board of directors. Voting is open to every person who has a site user account with USGBC under his/her organization's member number. Each vote cast under the same member number counts as a percentage of the single, aggregate vote allotted to each participating member organization. USGBC membership is open to any organization that shares a goal of a more sustainable built environment.

Environmental Sustainability E-Newsletter from the City of Colorado Springs